English version

The region of Weser-Ems lies in the northwest of Lower Saxony in Germany and encompasses parts of the two catchment areas Weser and Ems. The region is characterized by intensive agriculture with an average livestock density close to 2 livestock units per hectare. Intensive livestock farming decoupled from land resources due to import of animal feed has led to the production of farm manure exceeding the nutritional needs of the cultivated land. Due to excessive fertilization we witness high nitrogen levels remaining in the soil at the end of the vegetation period. In combination with a relatively high rate of seepage water this finally causes increasing nitrate pollution of groundwater bodies in the region of Weser-Ems. To make matters worse, the enactment of the national Renewable Energy Act and the subsidization of biogas production by the year 2004 further enhanced nitrate pollution due to digester effluents brought out on the land.

In response to the resource conflict between agriculture and water industry a cooperation model emerged in 1992. In the course of the so-called Niedersächsisches Kooperationsmodell Trinkwasserschutz farmer and water utilities cooperate for the purpose of drinking water protection. Financed by water abstraction fees the model comprises, inter alia, consultation services for farmers as well as voluntary agreements for example on the reduction of nitrogen fertilization or the growth of catch crops. The Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesische Wasserverband (OOWV) is a key actor within the cooperation model and the largest water supplier in the region. At the moment, the cooperation model fails to reach the groundwater quality necessary for the water supplier.

Against this backdrop, the University of Osnabrück in close collaboration with the OOWV investigates coordination and cooperation issues in the region of Weser-Ems. Together with stakeholders in the region, STEER aims at developing solution strategies and identifying innovative forms of cooperation. Following a transdisciplinary approach the project conducts stakeholder interviews and joint workshops.

STEER hosted a workshop for stakeholders of the Weser-Ems region in Osnabrück, Germany, on March 4 2020. Various actors jointly discussed options for improving groundwater protection in light of changing boundary conditions for agriculture. A short summary of the results (in German language) can be found here.

Agriculture, settlement, transport - just some of the uses along the Ems river in northwestern germany. Photo: Martina Nolte, license: Creative Commons CC-by-sa-3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25914775